A note from Barbara Coots, Editor of Single Matters: Nate Stevens, speaker and author of Matched 4 Life, encourages singles across the country to take a fresh, scriptural look at matters of the heart. Based on Mark 12:30 —“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Nate’s book examines the 4 aspects of life and relationships: spiritual (heart), intellectual (mind), emotional (soul), and physical (strength). Here is our interview.
Barbara Coots: Nate, can you offer some favorite Scriptures that have guided you in your own parenting?
Nate Stevens: Sure. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” And Proverbs 3:5-6 is also a good one: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Training the child and trusting God—they go hand in hand.
BC: What are some differences in parenting young children versus teenagers and young adults?
NS: Before they reach the age of accountability—when they fully understand the consequences of their actions—young children are reactive. At this stage, parents are more protective. It’s pointless to reason with a three-year-old. When children get a sense of who they are and start understanding the consequences of their choices, we parents can start asserting ourselves more and begin to equip our children for life in the 4 aspects.
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